Posted on 08/17/2008 3:23:35 PM PDT by kronos77
15 August 2008 Serbian defence officials denied selling weapons to Georgia, after Russia said assault rifles made in country’s arsenal Zastava were used in the recent conflict in South Ossetia.
A defence ministry official said the weapons were most likely sold to Georgia by one of the other former Yugoslav republics, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The M70 assault rifle is an improved copy of former Soviet Kalashnikov AK47. Both share the same caliber of 7.62x39 mm, but the Yugoslav version has an integral rifle grenade sight and is of much better quality. --- n 2007, workers from Zastava Oruzje went on a months-long strike over the refusal of the Defense Ministry to allow 2.5 million euros-worth export of weapons to Armenia.
The permit was finally granted only after Russian experts verified that the shipment made of small arms and ammunition will not influence stability of the region, Gromovic said. "Georgia was not even contemplated as a customer," he said.
Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation quoted former Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic, as saying that Russian helicopters and aircraft were targeted by Yugoslav-made heat-seeking surface to air portable missiles 9K32M or Strela-2M (NATO reporting name SA-7b "Grail" Mod 1).
“I was always claiming that it would be harmful to sell weapons to foes of Russia, our biggest ally,” Draskovic said as quoted.
Gromovic said he “was stunned by Draskovic’s statement” and dismissed it as “senseless.” The Strela-2M was manufactured in former Yugoslavia under a license and since 1984, the then military developed an improved version dubbed Strela-2M/A with better warhead, electronics and heat-seeking guidance system.
(Excerpt) Read more at balkaninsight.com ...
Picture??
Also, any ideas about something like a Saiga rifle with a medium heavy barrel chambered for Mauser 8mm or something halfway heavy for hunting?
If the Serb govt sold weapons to Georgia, they just went up another few notches, in my book...If it was the Bosnian govt, kudos to them... Georgia needs the help
Putin won’t be too happy about this. The Serbian president better have somebody tasting his soup.
The is no doubt that Russia and Putin are VERY serious about Georgia, but this takes it a step even further. They are indicating that they will punish suppliers and enablers.
Putin planned, prepared, entrapped and executed Georgia efficiently. This is the same process for the next target.
It's not a good idea to piss off the Bear unless you can take him.
Thank-you for posting the image....now I know what I want for Christmas!
Well, not so unusual, if you observe how clever Putin is getting.
Putin spent a lot of time and effort to create a situation where Russia could defend an ethnic group that was mistreated by the territorial government. He established the fact of mistreatment acceptable to the UN and got Russian peacekeepers authorized by the UN. With Russia strong and rich, his military new and prepared, the US overextended and in debt, NATO Europe unwilling to sacrifice, he baited Georgia, successfully. Why would he not paint additional small nations that opposed him with the color of Georgian human rights violations, it grants justification.
Putin learned this from the treatment of Serbia over Kosovo, and he said then that this should not stand. It was fair warning.
rofl.. I like it! lol
Why is it any business of Russia’s where a sovereign state purchases it weapons?
Leave to the Democrats to pick the wrong side in a fight.
Some good and not surprising news follows.
South Ossetian city Russians claim was leveled still standing.
McClatchy Newspapers
TSKHINVALI, Georgia - As Russian troops pounded through Georgia last week, the Kremlin and its allies repeatedly pointed to one justification above all others: The Georgian military had destroyed the city of Tskhinvali.
Russian politicians and their partners in Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway region South Ossetia, said that when Georgian forces tried to seize control of the city and the surrounding area, the physical damage was comparable to Stalingrad and the killings similar to the Holocaust.
But a trip to the city on Sunday, without official minders, revealed a very different picture. While it was clear there had been heavy fighting - missiles knocked holes in walls, and bombs tore away rooftops - almost all of the buildings seen in an afternoon driving around Tskhinvali were still standing.
Destroyed is a relative term to the Russians.
A very accurate and succinct description. I would have probably added "Mafia like" in front of, or in place of "criminal" because of the high degree of skill and organization involved.
I need to make this post short so I will add only a couple of comments at this time, more later:
It appears That Putin has a substantial support of the 100 million Russians by using that good old ethnic emotionalism.
Putin has used good old commie methods to acquire his economic control, (show trials, tax "evasion") but (like China) does NOT operate a communist economic system. He learns fast and is making a BIG profit.
As you point out he is ruthless, but he is not a blundering, shoe pounding zealot. If we want to win we should have dealt with this a long time ago.
Then again, if things were done my way, the Shaw's son would be running Iran and communism would be a crime.
It would be better that this never happened. American activities helped Putin & Co. gain control of Russia. First, Ruskies learned from Hanson that Yeltsin is an American troyan horse and staged massive maskirovka operation around him and his controllers. And America bought it.
The next step was bringing old KGB hands in the open to regain power. It was hard sell to Russians who wholeheartedly accepted lost Cold War and accepted everything American.
And again Americans came to help - with savage bombing of Serbia, and even more with sadistic and primitive war propaganda, this time available to Russians via satellitte channels.
And it worked like charm - the NATO demonstrated that it was was exactly as described by Soviet propaganda machine during Cold War- agressive menace bent on destruction and savagery, followed by politicall thuggery.
Russians woke up from their American Dream and embraced Putin &Co.
Cold war vicory was squandered for nothing. Another block in Clinton's legacy that keeps on giving.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.